Vibration Theory - Isolate or Drain?

If I am I reading Theaudiotweak right, I think he means isolation without knowing what you are isolating within the equipment is meaningless in the end. You don't know what modes (components in the equip) you are isolating and which ones you are exciting. Unless of course the isolation is designed custom made for the particular equip.

There is more guranteed and predicted results with weighing down or grounding the equipment. Of course type of material used to ground is important. You do not want material that rings or its own 'sound' to it.

Overall , agreed with Theaudiotweak.

The problem is all frequencies are coming up from the floor to the component, not just selected frequencies. Of particular importance, obviously, are frequencies in the range 8-15 Hz, the resonant frequencies of such things as tonearms, cartridges, CD laser assemblies, things of that nature. Higher frequencies excite other elements such as capacitors, internal wiring, chassis, and so on. So, there's no need to "know what you are isolating within the equipment." Follow?

My cd sounds more open and tuneful and faster when it is mechanically grounded and not isolated. Mass loaded turntables sound more open and tuneful and faster when they are mechanically grounded and not isolated. Most of the resonant energy in a system is generated from with in the systems components. If you attempt to damp the vibration within a capacitor all you have succeeded in doing is increase the time for that vibration to exit the capacitor. The longer that damped vibration lingers the longer its bad influence will affect the signature of that capacitor. The same is true for resistors, transistors, transformers etc. I no longer make the futile attempt to damp any of my components either externally or internally. Every thing is hard mounted and heading to ground. Tom

I'm not referring to damping the capacitor, I'm referring to isolating the component from structureborne vibration. So I suppose one could say your argument is a bit of a strawman, if you know what I mean.

Furthermore, most of the energy in the component is actually generated by the structureborne vibration, you know, the seismic kind, not by the component itself. Not even by airborne vibration. So I guess we'll have to agree to disagee.

emplying devices under or on top of a component, is a form of tuning, like a tone control. since no stereo system is perfect, hard or soft objects will affect the frequency response. i would conjecture that the choice to absorb or drain is subject to personal taste.

i prefer soft objects, because i find that usuually, hard materials, "harden" the sound.